offline ESP32 – A maker known as gokux built a tiny ESP32 fortune cookie that detects shakes and shows fortunes on an e-paper screen. It stores over 3,000 fortunes, runs fully offline, and can switch to a dice roller or coin flipper—without any crumbs.
The best part about a fortune cookie is also the mess—until now. When a tiny gadget built into a “cookie” gets shaken, it doesn’t just deliver a prediction. It quietly displays one on an e-paper screen, then waits for the next shake.
The project starts with a fork in the road: the idea of shoving an ESP32 into a standard fortune cookie crossed [gokux]’s mind. but it didn’t survive contact with reality. Instead, the maker built a small device that behaves like a fortune cookie without the crumbs. Once shaken, the gadget shows a fortune on its e-paper display.
Inside is a Seeed Xiao ESP32-S3 Plus paired with a matching e-paper display board. The unit can store over 3,000 fortunes, and it works entirely offline, meaning there’s no dependency on a network connection to get your next line. Power comes from a small Li-Po pouch.
The shake itself isn’t magic—it’s hardware. [gokux] uses an MPU-6050 accelerometer to detect the motion, then ties that input to what shows up on the screen. If the fortunes start to feel routine, the gadget doesn’t leave you stuck. Small buttons on the left side switch it into other modes: a dice roller and a coin flipper. In each case, you shake the device until you get what you want.
For anyone curious about the MPU-6050 beyond the finished product. the maker points to more detail in the video after the break. including what the accelerometer looks like “under the hood.” The end result is simple but satisfying: a fortune cookie experience that’s all motion and no mess. and it stays that way even when the predictions run out.
ESP32 fortune cookie e-paper MPU-6050 accelerometer offline gadget Seeed Xiao ESP32-S3 Plus Li-Po pouch dice roller coin flipper